Attractions & day tripsBy Clever Tourists · Published · Last updated
The first batch of tickets for London's New Year's Eve fireworks went on sale at 12 noon on Friday 23 October 2026, only through Ticketmaster. As of 27 October 2026, City Hall's event page still lists tickets as on sale now and has not announced a sell-out, but the first batch has sold out every recent year, sometimes within hours, so check Ticketmaster for live availability. Prices are £55 (≈ $74) or £40 (≈ $54) per person, or £35 (≈ $47) or £20 (≈ $27) for Londoners, depending on the viewing area, plus a small booking fee, and one buyer can get up to 4 tickets. A smaller final batch follows later in the year, but its date is not yet announced. Everyone needs a ticket, whatever their age: without one you cannot get into the viewing areas along the Thames. Below: the prices for each area, how the final batch has worked in past years, ID and resale rules, and how to get there and home on the night.
Free toolConvert to your own currency at live rates →Live mid-market rates for all 17 currencies we used, so you can see what a price actually costs.The Mayor of London's office announced on 16 October 2026 that the first tickets would go on sale at midday on Friday 23 October 2026, and that sale has opened. As of 27 October 2026 the official event page says tickets are on sale now and warns that they sell out quickly; City Hall has not said whether any area is already full, so the only reliable check is the Ticketmaster listing itself. The only authorised seller is Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.co.uk). City Hall says tickets bought from any other website or by any other means are not valid and will be refused entry, so ignore resale listings on other platforms and social media.
A final, smaller batch goes on sale later in 2026. As of 27 October 2026 its date is not yet announced; the official event page says to keep checking it. For the last pattern: the 2025 final batch went on sale at midday on Monday 24 November 2025, and in earlier years it came out in late November or early December. How fast the first batch goes has varied: in 2022 it sold out in just over five hours, while in 2023 it lasted from 3 to 14 November. The final batch usually sells out within days, so if the first batch is still available when you read this, it is the safer bet.
The event itself runs from 8pm on Thursday 31 December 2026 to 12:30am on Friday 1 January 2027, with fireworks, lights and music around the London Eye after Big Ben's bongs. City Hall expects about 100,000 people.
There are six fenced viewing areas on both banks of the Thames, split into two price categories. Prices include VAT; the booking fee goes to Ticketmaster and is shown at checkout.
• Category A, £55 (≈ $74) (£35 (≈ $47) for Londoners): Blue (north bank on Victoria Embankment, head-on view opposite the London Eye, gates 1 or 2), Pink (Waterloo Bridge only, side view, gate 6) and White (Westminster Bridge only, side view, gate 8)
• Category B, £40 (≈ $54) (£20 (≈ $27) for Londoners): Red (north bank further down the river towards Temple, side view, gates 4 or 5), Green (south bank, up close behind the London Eye, gate 7) and Orange (Albert Embankment by St Thomas' Hospital, partial side view, gate 9; this is the accessible area)
The Londoner discount is £20 (≈ $27) off each ticket. The postcode is checked against the billing address of the payment card, and you may be asked for proof of address on the night. You cannot move between areas once inside, so a group that wants to stand together must book the same area.
Only the Orange area has seating (you can bring a fold-up seat there), a hearing loop and a Changing Places toilet. The other five are standing only, can be crowded and may involve walking up to 2 km from public transport. City Hall says the event is not suitable for young children and strongly advises against bringing them; under-16s must be with an adult.
• Limit: one buyer can purchase up to 4 tickets. Another adult in a larger group can buy up to the same number, and the group must travel to the event together.
• ID: the main ticket buyer may be asked for photo ID matching the name on the group's tickets: a passport or photo driving licence, or a good-quality photocopy of one. Gift recipients can be asked for ID too.
• Gifts and transfers: if a ticket is for someone else, change the name to theirs through Ticketmaster's transfer process before the event, after your purchase confirmation arrives.
• Refunds and resale: there are no refunds. If you cannot go, you can resell at face value only through Ticketmaster's Fan-to-Fan Resale in your account.
• Entry times: each area admits people from 8pm to 10:30pm, through its listed gates only.
Without a ticket you will not be let into any of the viewing areas. Vehicle access around the site is restricted from 2pm on 31 December until about 6am on 1 January, and City Hall says the bridges around the site (Westminster, Golden Jubilee, Lambeth, Blackfriars and Waterloo) cannot be used to cross the river before or after the event.
Last year TfL advised people without tickets not to travel to the Victoria Embankment area and to celebrate at a local pub, bar or restaurant or watch the fireworks live on BBC One instead. City Hall's own message to people who missed out was the same. If you are visiting London over New Year without tickets, plan the evening somewhere away from the river around Westminster.
As of 27 October 2026, TfL has not yet announced its 2026 New Year's Eve service plan. The last official pattern, from TfL's December 2025 release: services ran all night on New Year's Eve apart from planned closures, and some central stations may close at short notice or at busy times to manage crowds. TfL did not announce free travel, so budget for normal fares.
City Hall's advice is to plan the route in advance, use only your area's gates and decide which side of the river you will go home from, because the bridges stay closed after the event and stations near the site are very busy around 12:30am. Holborn station, suggested for the Red area, has no step-free access. Contactless cards and Oyster work as on any other night; our Oyster vs contactless guide covers the fare caps.
If you are building a longer stay around New Year, our 3 days in London itinerary and how many days in London guide cover what to see in the days either side.
Transport around the river is closed or crowded for hours after midnight, so a room you can walk back to is worth more on this night than any other. Southwark and Bankside, and Covent Garden, are both walkable from the viewing areas: compare them in where to stay in London. For New Year's Day, when much of the city is quiet, see the best day trips from London.
The first batch went on sale at 12 noon on Friday 23 October 2026 on Ticketmaster, and as of 27 October 2026 City Hall still lists tickets as on sale. A smaller final batch follows later in the year; its date is not yet announced (in 2025 it went on sale on 24 November).
£55 (≈ $74) for the Blue, Pink and White areas and £40 (≈ $54) for the Red, Green and Orange areas, or £35 (≈ $47) and £20 (≈ $27) for Londoners, plus a booking fee charged by Ticketmaster.
Up to 4 per buyer. Another adult in the group can buy up to the same number, and the group must travel to the event together.
Not from the viewing areas along the Thames: people without tickets are not allowed in. TfL and City Hall advise people without tickets to avoid the Victoria Embankment area and watch the live broadcast on BBC One instead.
Yes. Everyone needs a ticket whatever their age, under-16s must be with an adult, and City Hall says the event is not suitable for young children.
Only at face value through Ticketmaster's Fan-to-Fan Resale. There are no refunds, and tickets sold anywhere else are not valid.
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